In the Wild Light

In the Wild Light

Jeff Zentner

Crown, 2021

421 pages

Grades 9-Up

Realistic Fiction

Cash has lived his entire life in the same small Appalachian Tennessee town. His mother has died from an overdose and he currently lives with his beloved grandparents, though Papaw suffers from emphysema and is in pretty bad shape. Cash helps his best friend Delaney discover a mold in a cave that has healing properties. Delanie is offered a scholarship to a prestigious northeastern boarding school and will only go if Cash can come too. The teenagers step out of their comfort zone and into a whole new world of learning, different ways of living, and extreme privilege. They make some friends and Cash discovers  a love of poetry and a new mentor in his dedicated teacher. By joining the crew team he finds a place within the school. Meanwhile, he also finds first love, first heartbreak, and eventually comes to terms with the feelings he has harbored for Delaney for a very long time. The year passes by, as Papaw's condition worsens and Cash's privileged and nasty roommate crosses the line in a way that forces him to find his voice.

Zentner pens a character driven story that demonstrates Cash's growth from insecure small town boy, content with running a landscaping business, to a confident poet, able to stand up for what is right. Themes of toxic masculinity are explored, as Cash's entitled jerk of a roommate clearly crosses a line and Cash must risk his scholarship to do the right thing. Appalachia is shown as more than a region of hillbillies and it is unusual to see this area of America so fully explored. The region is part of Cash and Delaney, yet doesn't define them. The power of words and writing comes through, as we trace Cash's journey to becoming a poet and the healing that he feels from this expression. The book is mostly appropriate for younger teens; the romance is innocent and there is no language, yet there is violence and the scene where Cash must confront his roommate involves date-rape and is disturbing. A beautifully written coming of age story that will sweep up readers, make them cry, and then, ultimately, leave them with a sense of hope.